A Crazy New World
by Lialee Ederian
Summary: What happens when a strange man disrupts the everyday happiness of Fairy Tail, AND the Straw-hats? Discord, that is. See what happens when friendships break and two totally different, yet similar worlds collide. The misadventures of the straw-hats and Fairy tail continue on, both seizing the chance for a new forever, and fighting to protect the perfect today...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, people! Thank you for reading this. It's my first fan fiction, so please excuse me if I got something wrong and please remind me of it if you review.**

 **Unfortunately I will have to present a disclaimer, since I do** _ **not**_ **own these two wonderful Mangas, just this story line.**

 **So, enjoy, enjoy and please review!**

 **(Plus, I updated this chapter to make it less... grammer-fying? well, horrifying, anyway. Thanks for reading!)**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Remind me why we're on a boat, again?" Natsu asked, getting sick over the side.

Gray made a miniature ice figure with his magic. "Only because _someone_ chose this stupid request." He glared at the blond sitting a few meters away.

"I _said_ I was sorry!" Lucy muttered. It had been like this during all of the on this boat the way back. Natsu puking and Gray glowering. Just great.

 _And_ exhausting.

Sitting next to Lucy, Wendy spoke up nervously, Carla hovering at her elbow. "Don't worry, Lucy-san! Everyone is just a bit on the edge because he request was so hard when everyone thought it was so simple. And it turns out that because of it, someone might be after us!"

Lucy smiled weakly at Wendy. 'Not that it really makes me feel better', she thought sadistically.

Just then, Erza spun around, her face red - in fact, the same scarlet as her hair - with rage (It might've been funny if it hadn't been so terrifying). "Shut Up!" She shouted. It was one of the few times when people saw her rage. _Including_ when people messed with her cake.

Instantly, everyone zipped their mouths. _No one_ wanted to cross Erza. Especially when she was in such a foul mood.

Suddenly, they heard noise from the ship's interior behind them. Noise of destruction.

Which could only mean one thing. "Everyone, move out!" Erza ordered.

"Aye!" Both Happy and Natsu cried out, fighting obviously taking precedence over motion sickness. Gray and Wendy followed the other two, Lucy picking up the rear.

Inside the ship, they saw amidst the destruction a tall, well-built man with a scar across his left eye. "Well, well, well..." he said, smirking at the five-man team (Not counting the cats). "Fairy tail. I was looking for you." In his hand, he held a huge war hammer, big enough to crush Happy with one swing.

Fairy tail's so called _'strongest team'_ glared at him.

Regardless, he continued. "Erza Scarlet. Titania. I've heard about you, you know? In the underworld, they say you're not all you're cranked up to be. Then there's you, Natsu Dragneel. What can I say...? An idiot." Fire, far brighter than any before, burned in Natsu's eyes.

The man turned to Gray. "Gray Fullbuster. Ul would really be _ashamed_ to know that her prized pupil almost lost to memory magic." Gray gritted his teeth at the sore reminder of the grand magic games a few months ago.

"Then only weaklings and exceeds left." The enemy turned to Erza. "Couldn't you do better?"

Gray turned to Natsu. "Wanna beat the crap out of this guy?"

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Let's teach him what happens to bastards who mess with fairy tail!"

"Don't do it!" Erza cried out from behind them, strangely apprehensive of the enemy.

Not listening to her, the two launched a volley of attacks.

"Ice make lance!"

"Fire dragon's roar!"

The beautiful, yet surprisingly united attack rushed at the man, its power magnified from when it started. However, before the attacks reached him, he vanished from his position.

The seven looked around in surprise. Then the man's voice came from behind them. "It would've hit me, you know. If it hadn't been so slow. Drunk with power, it seems!" The man gave a short laugh. The fairy tail members spun around, save Lucy, whose head was bent as far back as it could go, a shining knife at her throat.

"Hey! Let go of Lucy!" Natsu yelled.

"You try to protect others when you can't even protect yourselves?! At this rate, my clockwork soldiers won't even suffer a scratch by your hands!"

"Never heard of them," Natsu scowled- no, _growled._

The man raised an eyebrow. "No? Well, you better remember it. Soon it will be one of the most famous guilds in the world!" He grinned manically.

Erza stepped forward, clad in fairy armor. No one even knew when she had requipped, but no one was surprised. "Who are you?" She asked, sending glares to the boys.

"Hmmm... you can call me _**'Ram'.**_ Cool code-name, don't you think?"

"Why are you targeting us, Mr. Ram?" Erza continued.

Ram looked thoughtful. "I'm not really targeting you fairies specifically. You're just one of the good guys, aren't you? But I guess I'll let you go this time. I mean, considering some of you - And I don't just mean the exceeds - haven't even discovered their whole potential yet." Smiling confidently, the man disappeared in a poof of smoke. Or rather, a flash of lightening, _then_ a poof of smoke.

Then suddenly the boat lurched, and Natsu ran out. Lucy's watery eyes dried too, as she saw the rest walk to the deck with faces of barely controlled anger.

Lucy sighed. The day had gone _just so well._

It took them almost half an hour to reach the shore after they calmed down the people riding on the ship. When the ship stopped, Natsu leapt out... straight towards the sea.

"Natsu!" His partner yelled, his back sprouting wings as he ran after him.

Before help could reach him, Natsu crashed into an unsuspecting black haired boy with a scar under his eye. Both of them fell into the water, rocking the boat on which the stranger's orange haired female companion was sitting. Thankfully, because of a convenient wind, it stayed happily afloat.

Not that anyone from fairy tail - on the ship - cared, with Natsu's predicament and all.

After all, Natsu was _fire,_ the total opposite of water. For one.

Add motion sickness, and you get the whole package deal.

A drowning Natsu.

"HEY!" Suddenly, the orange haired girl's shout broke through their thoughts. Everyone looked at her (Except the drowning ones, obviously. But who can blame them?). "Can someone at least help me with them? I can only drag one of them!"

Gray moved first. "I'll go. As much as I hate to say it, I'll miss fighting with the flame-brain if he dies." He leapt into the water after the girl, once again showing his miraculous instant stripping techniques.

Beneath the water, Gray grabbed the black haired boy, who was closer to him and the girl dove after the pinkette.

It took seconds for the two to reach the sand, carrying the heavy _'baggage'_.

As the rest of the fairy tail members crowded around, Virgo appeared with a stack of towels. "As you asked for, princess."

Lucy smiled warmly. "Thank you, Virgo."

"Punishment time, Princess?"

A vague look of irritation and endearment crossed her owner's face. "Not today. I've got people to help." She gestured to the sputtering-after-almost-drowning pair. And the rescuers.

Bowing, Virgo disappeared.

Walking over to the wet people, Lucy gave a dry towel to Gray, then headed over to the mysterious girl who sat next to her companion, her back to Lucy.

The latter tapped on her shoulder. "Here." She said, offering her a fluffy white towel."

The girl looked gratefully at her. "Thanks."

"No problem. Here's one for your friend." She handed her another towel.

"For Luffy? Thanks again!" the girl carefully draped the towel over Luffy's body. "By the way, I'm Nami."

"I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you."

"Same here." Then she saw that pink haired Natsu was still dripping. "Aren't you going to give _your_ friend a towel?"

Lucy looked meaningfully at Natsu. "Nah. He doesn't need it." Just as she said that, Natsu's body burst into flames.

Nami almost scrambled back in surprise. "D… did he eat the Mera Mera No Mi?!" She asked frantically.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "The Mera Mera No Mi? What's that?"

Before Nami could answer, though, the black-haired boy, Luffy, sprang to life. "Hey! Where's the guy who pushed me?! I wanna give him a good beating up!"

Lucy bit her lip. "I… uh… don't think you can…," she stuttered.

Regardless, from a few meters away, Natsu perked up, having heard what was going on. "Fine with me!" he said, running over. "I was in the mood for a fight anyway!"

Both Lucy and Nami groaned in unison. "Boys…," They said simultaneously. Then they looked at each other, surprised.

And burst out laughing.

"You too?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"What can I say? Boys will be boys where ever they are! But thankfully, I've got Robin back at the ship. Lucky for you, seems like you've got a lot of girl-friends."

"I wouldn't be so sure to call them _girls_ yet. Though they are progressing!"

"Heh!" Nami giggled.

In front of them, the fight started with a barrage of attacks. From both sides. The loud noise, and they weren't the only one's watching.

In a few seconds, when both the parties' attacks had proved useless, Luffy decided to get a little serious. As did Natsu.

"Gear second! Gomu Gomu no red Hawk!"

"Fire dragon's king demolition fist!"

Nami and Lucy sighed and turned their gazes to look at the increasing number of people in the crowd.

"Guess we better stop them." Lucy said.

Nami smirked. "Yeah. Don't want the beach destroyed."

Looking around at the Hargeon port, Lucy smiled as her first memory with Natsu popped up. "Trust me. I've seen it in rubble before."

However, they didn't have to move at all.

The attacks clashed in the middle. As the attackers staggered back, everyone saw Erza standing in the middle, fully defended by the adamantine armor with not a single scratch on it (though that wasn't a surprise). Her glare sent shivers down the fairy tail group, plus Luffy and Nami.

 _And_ it sent the crowd running in all directions away from her.

"Now," she said, requipping into her normal armor. "Why don't we start to introduce ourselves, as a sign of good faith?" everyone gulped, than nodded. "Good. I am Erza Scarlet, an S-class mage from Fairy tail, currently Fiore's strongest guild. My magic is requipping."

Luffy and Nami looked confused, but then, Gray spoke up. "Gray Fullbuster. An ice mage from the same guild."

Next was Wendy. "I… I am Wendy Marvel. I am a sky dragon slayer and I also belong to fairy tail. Pleased to meet you…"

Before Carla could introduce herself, Natsu butted in. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, Fairy tail's fire dragon slayer." He showed off his guild mark. "That was a great fight you put up!" he added, looking at Luffy.

"Shishishihshi! I could say the same for you!" Luffy answered, laughing.

"Ahem." Everyone turned to look at the white exceed. "There are still introductions left."

Luffy's eyes bulged, while Nami merely looked a bit surprised.

"Woah! A talking cat!" He cried out.

Sighing, Carla continued. "I am Carla, an exceed. Like Wendy here," she said haughtily, "I also belong to Fairy tail. I must say, though I hold many of its aspects in high regards, others… not so much."

Nami chuckled as the next one stepped forward. "I'm Happy, Natsu's partner. I belong to Fairy tail, too, and I can fly!" To prove it, he leapt up into the air, taking help from his cat-sized wings. "I also looove fish!" He added.

Only Lucy was left from the Fairy tail group after that. "I am Lucy Heartfilia and I'm a celestial mage of Fairy tail."

Nami spoke up after that. "I'm Nami, also known widely as the cat-burglar. I'm the navigator of the straw-hat's crew."

Luffy grinned his signature goofy smile. "And I'm Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate king!"

Gray's eyes widened slightly. "Pirates…? So you pillage, raid and spread terror?"

"Nah." Nami replied, shrugging it off. "Our pirate crew is mostly about adventure and following our dreams."

Erza smiled tightly. "Well, then, you may mingle, since I have an urgent matter to talk about to Gray and Natsu."

Natsu looked confused. "You do?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Just come on, Squinty eyes!"

When they were a safe distance away, Lucy folded her hands and remarked, "Well, that was weird."

"True…"Nami said, examining her finger nails.

"So…" Lucy said in an attempt to ward off the awkwardness. "What kind of magic do you use?"

On a safer topic once again, Nami smiled. "What I use isn't magic. It's science, with which I can manipulate weather."

Lucy was impressed. "Cool."

"So tell me about your magic. You said you were a celestial wizard, but I'm quite sure I don't know who they are."

"Well…" Lucy fiddled with her key ring on which all her keys hung. Then she showed it to the other girl. "Celestial spirit magic is utilized by having these keys. Each key corresponds to a specific spirit from another dimension, and the celestial wizards call them here and form a contract with them which allows them to use their powers. The gold ones," she continued, fingering the zodiac keys. "Are called the zodiac keys, and are the most powerful, as far as we know. They are twelve and I possess ten of them. Well, actually, there is a thirteenth, which another celestial wizard I know possesses, along with the last two."

Nami looked awed. "What do the silver ones do?" She asked after a moment.

Lucy looked at her keys and smiled. "They are less powerful than the gold keys, but the amount of power a key has depends on the spirit power of its owner, so I don't think they are less than gold keys in ways that matter. Ah! Do you want to see one?" She added excitedly.

Nami's eyes brightened. "Why would you think no?"

Lucy laughed. "Then I'll call out one of the silver keys. I've been wanting to try it out for a while."

Smiling, she pulled out a key with a symbol of a bat. "This one has several abilities, ranging from sneak attacks to eavesdropping." She got a sinister look on her face. "Which I mean to do."

Nami smirked. "You really are cool."

"Thanks." Lucy answered, and pushed the key into the air, a light enveloping it. " _Open, gate of the Night Hunter, the Bat!"_

When the light cleared a little, the spectators saw a bat which hadn't been there before. It was the same as every other bat… yet different at the same time.

"What may I do for you, princess?" It asked in its scratchy, gravelly voice.

"I would like you to relay the conversation of my friends who just walked off." Lucy said with certainty.

Wendy looked horrified. "Lucy-san! We shouldn't spy on them! It's rude."

"Come on, Wendy!" Nami spoke up. "I'm bored, and I want to listen too. What else would you have us do? Follow those buffoons?!" She asked, gesturing to Luffy chasing Happy, who was flying for his life.

Just then the bat nodded. "As you wish, princess. I have already tapped in to their conversation."

It took less than a second for the voices to be transmitted through the bat to the odd group – now that Luffy and Happy had stopped chasing and being chased (respectively).

The first voice they heard was Erza's. "This team is weak. I vote for this team from now on to be _**disbanded**_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everybody who reviewed this story and is cheering me on. Since I'm doing this for the first time, please excuse my mistakes. But seriously, I love writing, so please support me!**

 **About the disclaimer, although I** _ **totally**_ **don't want to do it, I guess I have to. So here goes:**

 **Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do** _ **not**_ **own anything except this storyline!**

 **Huzzah!** _ **Not.**_

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Chapter 2

Erza's voice rang in Lucy's ears.

Painfully.

Then Natsu spoke. "W... what do you mean?!"

Next was Gray. "Well, I guess I have to agree. This team isn't as strong as whatever we thought. We only depend on each other, especially Lucy and Wendy. I don't see any way we can get stronger except by disbanding the team."

"Correct. That is the reason I say we should break the news to them when we get back to the guild. They will take it badly." Erza's voice was unmistakable.

"I... I guess you're right..." For once, Natsu wasn't rebelling.

Back where the six were eavesdropping, the bat vanished and they didn't hear more. They didn't need to. All of them could understand the seriousness of the situation, even the goofy Luffy.

All of them turned to look at the victims...

Lucy was still standing.

But she was trembling. Tears were dripping from her eyes, which were coloured with betrayal. She couldn't look at any of them, so she looked at the ground, cursing her treacherous sobs.

Wendy, too, was looking shocked, unable to say anything, much less do something.

Several feet away, Natsu heard them, and came running over, Gray and Erza following with looks of worry.

"What's wrong, Lucy?!" The pink-haired idiot asked her frantically. Reaching her, he almost touched her, when there was a sudden flash of light and Natsu was thrown violently back, crashing into Gray and Erza, too fast for them to react.

As the dust cleared up, the group saw an orange-haired man wearing glasses, a suit, and an angry expression.

"Loke!" Lucy whispered her voice caught in her throat.

In front of them, Natsu and the others scrambled up.

"What the hell are you doing, Loke!?" Gray burst out angrily,

"Protecting my owner." The lion replied grimly.

"Then what'cha hittin' us for?!" Natsu yelled. "We're her goddamn FRIENDS!"

"You-"

Loke was cut off by Luffy. "You don't deserve the title." His face was contorted with rage. The goofiness had disappeared.

Erza glared at him, but unlike last time, he didn't as much as flinch. "This is our conversation." She said. "Outsiders should not interrupt."

Ignoring her, Loke looked at Luffy appreciatively. "Luffy, right? Good going. You took the words right out of my mouth."

Luffy grinned at him, then turned to Nami, his smile brightening, if that was possible. "Hey, Nami!" He said excitedly. "Why don't we get Lucy to be a part of our crew?!"

"Well... you _are_ the captain." She said, sighing, but smiling. "And it wouldn't hurt to have another girl on board."

Next to her, Lucy sniffed. "You _do_ realize you have to ask me first, right?"

Her new friend grinned. "Once Luffy decides on something, you can't dissuade him, you know. And anyway, were you going to refuse?"

"We~ll... I _could_ use an adventure. But I won't go with you if Wendy's not coming. She was neglected too."

"With us, plenty adventures are assured. One day without action is like a day without food to Luffy. And you _shouldn't_ underestimate his eating abilities. As for your friend, sure."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Should I finish them off?"

Before Lucy could decline, Wendy spoke up, looking a bit flushed from their earlier conversation. "Please don't hurt them, Luffy-san! They may have hurt us, but they're still our friends!"

"Yeah. And that's the reason you pirates should back off! They belong to fairy tail!"

Lucy recovered herself. _And_ her wits. "We don't belong to anyone but ourselves." She answered defiantly. "And you don't seem to think we belong to our team- sorry, _ex-_ team, anyway"

Guilt fluttered across the three faces facing them. Erza tried to smooth things out. "Look, Lucy. It's not what you think it is."

"Are you up to explaining? Because even if I'd love to get all this... all this damn STUFF explained, I'd much rather go with people who've known me only five minutes, and _still_ trust me more than you do!"

At that, Loke ran towards the culprits, right hand glowing, gathering Regulas's power.

Gray ran to intercept Loke. "You guys get them, I'll handle him!"

But Lucy was ready for this. " _Open, gate of the goat! CAPRICORN_!" Then as Capricorn was materializing, she pulled out another key, and thrust it in the water. " _Open, gate of the water bearer! AQUARIUS_!" Both spirits attacked the three from fairy tail, Aquarius not even having some snide comments for Lucy. Capricorn targeted Natsu and Aquarius turned against Erza.

From the midst of battle, Erza yelled loudly. "Wendy! Carla! Stop her!"

The blue haired wizard's eyes burned. And not the usual fire either. She reared up for the first time since they had seen her. "You think I'd help you after you insulted us?! If it was only me, I could live with it. But you hurt Lucy-san, too!" She passed Lucy a smile, as Lucy gave a look of relief.

In the middle of chaos, Luffy heard Loke's voice. "Hurry! You've got to take Lucy away now! She won't last long with three gates out-" A huge hammer of ice stopped him from saying much else.

Nodding, Luffy grinned, swept up Lucy and ran to the boat. As Luffy put her down, she sat down heavily next to Wendy.

"See ya!" Luffy called out to the one's fighting. "Oh, and don't forget. I'M GOING TO BE THE PIRATE KING!"

With Nami's expert wind controlling skills, it took them only a bit of time till they were so far from the port that it was barely visible, for one. And for two, they couldn't hear Natsu's curses anymore.

As if on cue, Lucy collapsed, her last vision being of Wendy looking at her, worried.

* * *

Rubbing her eyes, Lucy got up. She felt refreshed and alive, which she thankfully was.

Getting up from the bed was a bit trouble, since it was so comfy, but she managed.

And she jumped about five feet into the air. "Wh... who are you?!" She cried out, looking at the green-haired guy sleeping next to the wall.

His eyes lazily etched open. "Honestly, woman. Can't you let someone sleep?"

Lucy bit her lip, looking a bit scared.

The man rolled his eyes. "Forget it. What matters is, you're awake." Sighing, he started to get up.

Lucy fumbled at her waist. Finding no keys, she looked around in confusion.

"Relax." The guy said, somehow knowing what she was looking for. "They're on the table next to you."

Grabbing the bundle, Lucy looked at him cautiously. "So... Who _are_ you?"

"Roronoa Zoro. Swordsman." He replied.

"Oh." Lucy said awkwardly. Then she got her bearings. "By the way, where am I, Zoro?"

Zoro stretched his hands. "This is the strawhat's ship, the thousand sunny."

Lucy's eyes widened. "So… Luffy?! So it _wasn't_ a dream..."

Zoro looked confused. "What dream-?"

Before he could complete his question, the door burst open and a yellow-haired man with curly eyebrows, almost singing and holding up a tray of delicious looking food. "Lucy-san~! I brought food for you~!"

"Idiot!" Zoro cried, looking at his crew mate. "What if she had been asleep?!"

The new guy narrowed his eyes at Zoro. "What matters is that she's awake now!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Whatever..." He mumbled, dragging his feet out. "I'm going to sleep on the mast, since _someone_ is occupying my bed."

Lucy blushed as Zoro exited the room. Then her stomach growled, and she grabbed the tray from the side table where the cook had put it. She took a hesitant bite...

Her eyes lit up. "What _is_ this? It's delicious!"

The man smirked. "This is just one of my specials, c-"

Once again, the door burst open, and in came Nami and Luffy. "Hey, Sanji!" Nami said. "Hey, Lucy! I heard you were awake and came to talk."

"Nami-swaan!" Sanji turned and his heart popped out of his eyes. "Do you need something?"

"Nope!" Nami replied, ignoring his obvious affection. "I just wanted to tell her all about us."

"Me too!" Luffy pitched in. "She _is_ part of our crew now, after all."

"Thanks, guys, but please think of me as a temporary member." Lucy said apologetically.

"Temporary? Why?!" Sanji burst out.

"I'm sorry, but even if N- _they_ don't appreciate me, that doesn't mean no one else does. I mean, I've got a whole guild back in Fiore!"

"Fiore? Is that the name of the island we took you from?" Nami asked.

Lucy was confused. "An island? No, no, Fiore is a continent! The greatest country in the world!"

Nami stared at her as if she was crazy.

Then, for the third time, the door burst open, almost breaking its hinges, and in entered Wendy, looking relieved to see her awake. "Lucy-san! Thank goodness! You've been sleeping for three days!"

Lucy's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Three DAYS?!"

Then a haughty voice replied from Wendy's elbow. "Yes, yes. Three days. The fight must've taken its toll on you, along with having three gates open at the same time over such a long distance."

Now _everyone_ was confused. "A long distance? We were barely out of sight of the shore!" Nami called out.

"And distance has never been a problem for me before." Lucy added.

Now it was Carla's turn to sigh. "I do not mean that kind of distance. As I am saying, having three gates opened in another dimension really puts a strain on the owner."

"ANOTHER DIMENSION?!" They all burst out, with the exception of Luffy, who was all like, 'I'm gonna go out because you're boring me.'

Carla winced, but Lucy continued asking. "How do you know? And more importantly, how do we get back?!"

"Calm down!" Carla sighed. Why did Wendy have to come to _this_ ship, of all places? It was too rowdy... and too much like fairy tail. "As to how I figured it out, well, when this crew told Wendy about their world, I deduced several things. One; this world is too much in conflict with our world. Two; since no one from this world (who we have met) has heard of Fiore, and no one from Fiore has heard of Grand line, there could only be one answer. Another dimension."

"Wow..." Lucy breathed. "That sounds so... simple."

Carla smiled tightly. "About your other question..."

"Yes?"

From behind them, they heard a smooth female voice. "As for your last question, Miss Lucy," She said, "The answer is, that according to my studies, except for a rip in the fabric separating dimensions, there is _**no way out.**_ "

* * *

Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza marched back to the guild, and slammed the door open. They stormed through the dissipating crowds - who obviously didn't want to get in the way of raging monsters, _one_ in particular - and slumped down on an empty table.

"How was the quest, guys?" Mirajane asked, coming over with a tray of drinks.

Natsu growled, but stopped when Erza glared at him. "It was fine. We just had a little... unsettling trouble when we were on the way back."

"A LITTLE?!" Gray burst out. "That guy won and then he took pity on us! And those little pirates interfered too!"

The crowd gasped. Erza's artificial eye twitched. Her voice rose with each cry. "Gray fullbuster. DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANGER OUT ON YOU TEAM!"

Gray backed down, still looking a bit angry.

Baffled, most of the guild dispersed, doing what they had been doing before team Natsu barged in. Only the closest friends were left.

Scanning the group, Levy stepped forward. "Where's Lu-chan? Is she at her apartment?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I don't see bunny girl around."

Then Romeo popped up. "I can see Lucy-nee not coming after a bad mission, but where's Wendy?"

Team Natsu didn't react. If anything, their faces grew even stormier.

But the accusers didn't step back.

Of course, _that_ was the time the master had to come. "Hey, brats!" He called out. "Before you say or do anything, there's a guest here!"

Now, _that_ caught everyone's attention. _Everyone's._

And into the guild he came...

* * *

 **This is it. Sorry for being such a meanie and putting cliffhangers everywhere, but that's just who I am. So read, review, and ENJOY!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I took so long, people, but I was kind of busy, you see and... Well, since I just love writing fanfictions, well... I couldn't help but write another one even though I need to finish this one.**

 **Mind you, I'm terrible at keeping promises to myself, so only time will tell. Anyway, people, thanks again, for reviewing, favourite-ing and following.**

 **I promise this story is going to get** _ **pretty**_ **interesting real soon...**

 **MUHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **Anyway, like I said in the last chapter, I do** _ **not own these two awesome manga.**_ **I just love writing *shrugs*. So everybody, wish me luck, and I'll do the same!**

* * *

Chapter 3

Erza leapt up from her table. The others would've been surprised… if they hadn't been baffled already, by the one who had come.

Erza ran up to the newcomer. "Jellal! What are you doing here?!"

Jellal smiled the smile he only smiled when he saw Erza.

'A love struck smile…' Mirajane thought, her matchmaking gears whirring wildly.

"I got pardoned by the council." He answered, still gazing at his beloved.

"Pardoned? Why?"

"Oh, I did a service for them. One they won't be forgetting any time soon. I built a… a special machine for them, you see."

"Ah…"Erza still looked confused.

Jellal smiled, putting his hands on her shoulders. "But more importantly…" He began, clearing his throat.

"… Yes?"

Everyone was looking at them, but in Jellal's eyes, there was only Erza. "I… uh… I wanted to say…" he took a deep breath. Then he seemed to realize what a big audience they had.

Who were watching.

Attentively.

Seemed to him, everyone knew what he was going to say. That is, except the one he was going to say it to.

"Nothing…" He muttered, moving away.

As soon as he said that, there were noises of booing and groaning from every direction.

Then Erza snapped. "SHUT UP, IDIOTS!"

And everyone _did_ shut up. Erza turned again to face Jellal. "About that machine you built. What does it do?" At least this kept her mind off Lucy, Wendy and Carla.

"Well…" Jellal began, his brow furrowing. "When we – Meldy and I – were destroying a dark guild, we stumbled across a unique pathway. It was a rip. A rip in the fabric of dimensions. Of course, at first, I did not believe it, but the part it was in sort of shimmered, and to prove it to myself, I entered that rip. When I did, I found myself in a completely different world, where, when I asked around, no one had heard of our world, of Fiore, Wizards, or even Zeref. Anyway, as soon as we came back to this world, I began my research.

"See, I found out several things. For one, there were several dimensions, all with their own timelines, properties, etc. Of course, there was no proof as whenever researchers – those who discovered these worlds – went back to where they had found these places, they seemed to have disappeared. But the one I saw was still there when I returned. It seemed they have some kind of power supply from the universe. When it runs out, they vanish from existence. However, another one appears when the first one has shut."

"And then?" Erza asked, as Jellal caught his breath.

"Well, long story short, I decided to build a machine _around_ the rip so it won't close, and more importantly, it will have a constant supply of power."

Now even Makarov was looking curious. "Where'd you get the power?" Everyone knew that less than five per cent of the world's population were mages. And no one had yet discovered how to extract magic from nature (Except the mages who were nature inclined, power-wise).

A mischievous glint entered the guest's eyes. "Well, the council couldn't very well just be happy with criminals' imprisonment, don't you think?"

It took a moment for this comment to register in the guild's collective mind.

Then they burst out laughing at Jellal's creativity, because the council were such dunderheads, they could never have come up with this in a thousand years!

"So, anyway," Jellal continued on a more serious note, "We struck a deal, the council and I. Crime Sorciere, Meldy and I would get freedom, while the council would get the machine and strike a deal with their government so they could help each other in times of crisis and the like."

Everyone laughed, finally returning to whatever they had all been doing.

And Levy remembered _her_ purpose for standing disapprovingly in front of team Natsu. "Master!" She cried, running to him, Gajeel and Romeo at her heels.

Master stopped laughing and adopted a serious expression. "What is it, Levy?"

"Master, Lucy, Wendy and Carla are gone!"

Master stilled.

As did everyone else in the guild. Not everyone knew these three that well, but the members of a guild were always comrades, and none more so than Fairy tail.

"W… What do you mean?" Makarov asked the blunette stiffly.

Levy was panicked, so Gajeel took over. "Lucy, Wendy and Carla weren't with this team when they came back to the guild, for one. For another, their scent shows they parted _way_ back. Even as far back as the port."

Makarov turned to face the remaining member of the broken up team. "What is the meaning of this?" He uttered quietly, red with rage.

Gray muttered something incoherent, but Makarov must have heard a bit of it because he started growing to the height he usually grew when he was undeniably angry. "WHAT HAVE YOU BRATS DONE?!" He roared.  
Everyone flinched, though for different reasons.

Gray was the first to break. "It was _their_ fault…" He muttered, looking at the floor. We just said that we were going to break up the team for a while. Don't know how they heard it, though."

Natsu too, was angry, and couldn't help adding a comment. "And then they ran off with some strangers just because they said some nice things!"

"STUPID FOOLS!" Makarov thundered. "OF COURSE THEY WOULD GO WITH THEM! WHEN YOUR OWN TEAM IS ABOUT TO ABANDON YOU, WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO HANG ON TO THE ONE MOST HELPFUL?! THEY OFFERED KIND WORDS, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

"And you know that's not all what happened." A strange voice interrupted his tirade. A voice never before heard in fairy tail.

Team Natsu stiffened. "You!" They uttered venomously.

Ram was amused. "Yes. Me." He said with sarcastic satisfaction.

Erza stepped forward. "What would _you_ know?!" She spit out, losing all caution from before.

Ram rolled his eyes. "I know a lot of things. What really happened, for one. Where your friends are, for two." He smirked.

Natsu took over Erza's shouting. "Where the HELL are they, you bastard?!" He cried, running at Ram with a flaming fist.

… And he ran right though him. "Don't bother. I'm not really here. Who'd be so foolhardy?" He said, raising his eyebrow and chuckling.

In front of him, team Natsu fumed. Well, in front _and_ behind.

Interrupting the argument, Master Makarov spoke. "Who are you, and what business do you have with us?" He asked in his work voice.

Ram grinned. "Nothing, really. And ask your little team of my identity. I just came to tell you that your friends are safe. I wouldn't do it normally, but I've taken an interest in the blond and blue haired. Very, powerful, you know? Once they realize their true potential, I'll have to scout them for my guild, you understand."

"They are members of FAIRY TAIL! YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY BRATS AWAY!"

"We'll see about that." Ram said, starting to disappear. "Oh, and take care of my spy, won't you?" He vanished. At once the mutterings started, as did unjust accusatory glances.

"QUIET, FOOLS!" Master bellowed. The guild shut up. "Don't you see what he's doing? He's trying to split us up! Whoever the spy is, he's still a fairy. He's still family!" Everyone started grinning despite themselves. "So now, we will start searching for our team members. Starting with the ones who lost them in the first place."

Said people looked hesitant to cooperate…

Seeing their guilty faces, Juvia stepped forward, for once not in the defense of her beloved. "Gray-sama, Juvia said she would forgive you for anything, but Juvia knows this is overstepping the bounds. If you will not go look for Lucy-san, then Juvia will go look for her herself! She has been nothing but kind to Juvia, even though Juvia was mean to her and called her a love rival unjustly. So Juvia is going to go look for them herself!"

Levy smiled at the former rain woman. "Don't worry, Juvia-chan, I'm coming with you! I want Lu-chan and Wendy-chan to come back, too!"

"Well, then… if shrimp's going, I might as well." Gajeel drawled.

Romeo grinned. "Count me in!"

The whole guild shouted out a series of agreements.

"Well, then, GO, you brats! Make a plan, run without a plan, JUST GET OUT OF HERE AND START LOOKING!" Making teams or the like, everyone dispersed.

Soon, only Mirajane, the Master, Jellal and the remnants of team Natsu were left.

"What really happened?" Jellal asked quietly.

Natsu was looking anywhere but at the mages. "Told you. We said we were disbanding the team, and they ran off."

"Why didn't you stop them?!"

Gray. "Lucy called her most powerful spirits, and the strangers weren't too bad themselves."

After a minute of silence, Erza sighed. "That's not all of the truth." She said resignedly. "They somehow overheard us deciding that we'd be disbanding the team because we were depending too much on each other."

Jellal closed his eyes. "I'm disappointed in you, Erza. I though you knew better." Erza flinched. "Depending on each other is what a team is for. Looking out for each other's weak spot… I thought you knew after the way you spoke of your friends at the tower and the games."

Erza knew which tower he was talking about… and she felt doubly ashamed of herself. Especially as she remembered the games.

That was when Gray spoke up. "It was the guy who annoyed us. Ram. He undermined our confidence and this happened." He mumbled.

Mirajane walked up and said softly. "Don't you think it was just as hard on them? I think it was in fact harder, even, because you chose not to include them in the discussion which ultimately _did_ involve them. Think of how betrayed they felt."

Recognition and shame lit the four faces of the remaining team Natsu.

Seeing that, Jellal raised a hand in good bye. "I'll get some help from certain interesting characters I met while travelling. I'll let you know if anything pops up."

The Master nodded in thanks. "We appreciate your help. Call us anytime you need something."

Jellal walked out.

Erza felt a pang of loss as the events of the day actually registered in her mind. If only she had stopped to think… a tear slipped down her cheek.

No one looked at her, though she fully well knew that they all had seen the tear. But she was still glad. She hated crying.

The Master cleared his throat. "Mirajane, record every piece of information anyone brings back. And also inform Laxus and the raijinnshuu when they return. Oh, and Gildarts is returning soon so update him too. This is top priority now."

"Got it, Master."

Then Master turned to team Natsu, intending to give them all a huge lecture.

He was surprised – though he should have expected this – to see them not at all there. In fact, they were nowhere in sight. Or hearing for that matter.

He smiled, wondering why they hadn't come to their senses _before_ their friends had left.

* * *

 **See you soon! (I hope). 'Cause I really,** _ **really**_ **forget to type. But since I love reading and writing - as explained in my useless profile - let's hope I** _ **do**_ **remember!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am back, people! Sorry for the lateness, but I got so immersed reading other people's fanfictions, that I completely forgot to type my own! That and ... I hate typing... *Mumble Wimble* In any case! Read and enjoy! It** _ **is**_ **written for you guys, after all. Since if I had just wanted to read it myself, I would be selfish and lazy and not ever type.**

 **And so, after this completely useless piece of ... note, I present to you... *Flourishes* THE STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 _On the ship…_

Lucy looked around at the calm waters, with no land in sight. For once, she felt peaceful.

And it _had_ to be ruined.

"What're you doing?" A voice from behind made her jump ten feet into the air. _Again._

"Zoro!" She chastised, turning to scold the swordsman. "Do _not_ do that!"

Zoro smirked. Scaring Lucy was worth it. Then he sobered. "So, tell me, why _did_ you come to this ship? From what Wendy told us, you two loved your guild."

Lucy tried to smile. "I do love my guild." She failed. "It's just… without my spirits, I'm pretty weak, and it's kind of a sore subject for me, so when my team members decided to disband because we were all too dependent on each other, and not that strong individually, I… I kind of snapped." Lucy felt strange. She was telling a complete stranger all her feelings, and she didn't even know why. Nor did she care. The only thing she felt was an invisible weight shifting off of her shoulders.

Zoro scowled. "Isn't that what a team is for? Helping each other, watching out for when they're weak… helping them grow stronger? At least that's what it means to us."

Lucy felt tears spring to her eyes. That was what it meant to her too. Why couldn't it mean the same to the people she would give up anything for?

Zoro jumped back, suddenly. "Why're you crying?!" He asked worriedly, looking a teeny tiny bit guilty.

Before Lucy could assure him that it wasn't his fault, Sanji sprang up from somewhere with the rest of the crew, including Wendy and Carla.

"You shouldn't make girls cry, Marimo!" Sanji accused, "Especially not a beautiful girl like her!" He smirked flirtatiously.

Lucy rolled her eyes. It reminded her of a very loyal pervert who just happened to be her protector. They were very similar, Sanji and Loke. Except for the eyebrows. Those were _definitely_ original.

Name cleared her throat. "Okay, people. Let's introduce ourselves to Lucy, okay?" There was a murmur of general agreement.

Sanji spoke first. "As you, know, my name is Sanji, and I am the cook of this ship. I aspire to be the greatest chef in Grand line, and to find the All Blue!"

Lucy smiled sincerely. "So _that's_ why your food is as good as Mirajane's!"

"Mirajane?"

Lucy nodded. "Yup! Mirajane Strauss. She's a member of Fairy tail and makes awesome food, for one, is really beautiful, for two, and if that wasn't enough, she is the nicest person I know. Of course, that all pales in comparison to her terrifyingly strong magic!"

By Sanji's expression, he probably stopped listening at 'beautiful'.

Next, a long nosed man stepped forward, "I am Usopp, son of Yassop, and I will be the greatest sharpshooter in the world, and one of the strongest warriors of the sea!"

Nami grinned at Lucy. "And one day, the king of liars!"

Lucy smiled, while the rest of the people laughed outright at Usopp's mock-hurt face.

Next, the woman who dropped the bombshell of 'no escape' on them spoke up. "My name is Nico Robin. My dream is to find the 'true history' of this world. It is inscribed on a Poneglyph for which I'm searching. And of course, like Luffy here, I have eaten a devil fruit, so I have powers as well."

"What sort of power? And what's a devil fruit?" Lucy queried confusedly.

Robin smiled serenely. "Let me first explain the devil fruits first." Robin began, much to the bemusement of her crew, who had already heard a full description on some earlier date, when Usopp had been stupid enough to moan about his lack of knowledge about these fruits. "Devil fruits are mystical fruits which grant it's eater an ability depending on the fruits themselves, as they have different types and variations. They are said to be the fruits of the sea devil himself, as in return for granting power, they take away a person's ability to swim. Another thing about it is that, well, it tastes really, really _horrible._ "

Lucy cringed as Luffy agreed. "I know! I remember eating it because it looked like it was dessert, and finding out that it tasted bad!"

The straw hats groaned. Typical Luffy, their simple minded captain.

"In any case," Robin continued, "There are different types of fruits. It would take a bit long to explain them, and since some introductions are still waiting, I will give you a book on them later, if you so desire." Lucy grinned, but Robin spoke again. "My fruit is a paramecia type fruit, the Hana Hana no mi, which allows me to sprout any part of my body from anywhere I can see or at least have general knowledge of." Robin's hands suddenly popped up from behind Lucy and tapped her on the shoulder making her jump about seven miles this time.

Lucy made a face. Seemed like they all got a kick out of scaring her. However, when she _did_ calm down, it was a direct change to excitement. " _That. Was. Awesome!"_

After Robin, was a… A skeleton. A _skeleton_.

Lucy had to contain her wish for running away. "I'm Brook, m'lady. I see you are very beautiful… but I can't see since I don't have eyes! Ho, ho, ho!" Lame skeleton joke. The pirates were already used to it.

Fifth was a huge –and huge means _huge_ – man with a large – meaning _large_ – body and a small head. "I'm the SUPER shipwright of this ship! I'm also a cyborg! It's SUPER to meet ya!"

Then there was Zoro. He said his piece gruffly and shortly. Obviously. "Roronoa Zoro. Swordsman."

Finally there was a small… reindeer. Wearing a doctor's coat. Wow. Lucy was almost too surprised to be more surprised. "Hello! I'm Toni Toni Chopper, the doctor for this ship."

Instantly, Wendy sprang up. "Isn't he cute?!"

Lucy gave her a lopsided smile. "If you say so, Wendy-chan." She cleared her throat. "My turn. Everyone, my name is Lucy Heartfilia, a proud member of fairy tail, and the holder of ten of the zodiac keys!" She finished, beaming and showing both her fairy tail mark and the keys.

Luffy started jumping up and down. "Ooh! Open the gates again! The goldies!"

The blonde mage laughed. "Sure, Sure. Which ones do you want me to open now?"

"Which ones are there?" Robin asked.

"Well, there's Aquarius the water bearer, who is my oldest spirit, Cancer the crab, Taurus the bull, Virgo the virgin, Leo the Lion, Sagittarius the archer, Scorpio the scorpion, Gemini the twins, Capricorn the goat and Aries the sheep! All are strong in their own way and have varying specialties."

At once there was a loud commotion… that is, until Nami ultimately calmed them. Or, well… maybe 'shut them up' is a more accurate phrase. "Now." She said sweetly, "Let's do it more civilly. Lucy, how many can you call out?"

Lucy shrugged. "Two, I guess, to be safe."

Nami nodded. "Alright then. Everyone, vote for two."

After a few minutes of raising hands and loud protests, Nami turned back to Lucy. "We decided on Leo and Aquarius."

Lucy grinned. "Good choice. They're both my most powerful spirits. Call Leo Loke though." She pulled out his key. "Open, Gate of the lion, Leo!"

Loke shimmered into this world.

Only to punch Sanji in the face. "And _that's_ for flirting with my owner."

Sanji glared, rubbing his face, while the others laughed, thinking it was high time someone gave him a wakeup call.

Luffy, of course was all about strength. "Hey! You're strong. Wanna be in my crew?"

Loke grinned. "Sorry. I only serve my mistress." He suddenly looked at the position of the sun. "Huh. Look at that. Seems that I have to go. See you!" He kissed Lucy's cheek and vanished with a wink, leaving her to Nami's embarrassing knowing look.

"B… back to my keys..." Confidently, she pulled out the volatile beauty's key. "Open, Gate of the water bearer, Aquarius!"

And the beautiful mermaid we all know and love appeared. She glared at Lucy. "What did you call me here –?" She stopped. "This _isn't your world!"_ She hissed.

Lucy smirked. "We know. But how did you?"

"The water isn't the same…" Aquarius muttered distractedly. "And –"

Suddenly, Lucy coughed, swayed, and collapsed. Aquarius swore. "Damn it! You need to stop her from using her keys for a month, at the least! I'm going back to the spirit world. There's too much magic taken from her right now!" She flickered and disappeared.

Chopper ran forward and checked her vitals. "She's okay!" There was a collective gasp of relief. "Now she just needs to rest." Zoro nodded and swung her up, carrying her to the infirmary.

* * *

Late the same night, Nami got up and went to sit next to Wendy, who was sniffing sitting out there on the deck. "You okay?" She asked.

Wendy took in a shuddering breath. "I… I just miss them…"

Nami sighed. "I know how that feels. Until a few months ago, we hadn't met for a few years either."

Wendy looked at her curiously, as a small breeze flew around them "Why?"

The orange haired girl smiled. "We had already been separated and before we could meet again, we decided to get stronger, so we could help each other and protect each other better. Now we're one of the few strongest pirate crews, I think."

"So…" Wendy started, catching on. "We should use this time to get stronger?"

Nami grinned. "Exactly. And when you get back, you can go brag about your power to everybody." She smirked. "And punch them in the face."

Wendy smiled. It sounded like a pretty good idea.

* * *

 **Yahoo! Another chapter! Having fun? Sorry for the lateness, but that's just me. Erratic, you know? Plus, typing is like my worst enemy! Anyway, Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, Every body! This is one more chapter that I may have neglected to type before...**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and don't kill me off in your ... well, anyway.**

 **By the way, I won't give an excuse, because my excuses are stupid (Since this time, it's O-Levels).**

 **Happy Reading! Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

It had been almost a month since Lucy's keys had been confiscated, much to her horror and sorrow. However much she begged and pleased… well, they _were_ pirates, after all. They had to have _some_ practice against persuasion.

Even Luffy was not completely tempted by the offer of food when the keys could possibly endanger Lucy's life.

"What am I going to do?" She had wailed to a sympathetic, yet amused looking pair of Robin-and-Nami. Nami had smirked.

"Magic isn't everything, Lucy." Robin tried to explain.

"WE don't have magic, yet we still survive." Nami pointed out, motioning to Zoro, Usopp and herself.

Lucy glared at them. "It's not the same! I'm _useless_ without my keys! Just a person in the way…" She muttered the last part to herself, cursing as she did so.

Nami sighed, looking around. "Look. You're not getting the keys anyway, and like Robin said, _'Magic isn't everything'._ So, for safety and to keep your mind off of your crying – frankly, it's getting tedious – I suggest you go learn some practical self-defense plus some beginner offense from one of the boys. Alright? Good." She turned back to her book as if she hadn't just delivered something mind boggling to the baffled blonde.

Of course, in the end, she did as she was told, or she would go crazy with nothing to do, and not even one of her spirits to talk to. Depressing, really.

She approached Usopp first. He seemed like a nice guy, despite the outrageous lies he could cook up. Yeah, believable lies would be easy for him, but, according to the crew, where's the fun in that?

He gave a smile and a basic slingshot. "I'm one of the best sharpshooters in the world, you know?" He bragged. But it was the happy, truthful sort of bragging. "I've got a pretty good aim, if I say so myself." And to prove his claim as a member of this monster crew, he aimed for a deck cleaning Sanji, trying to flirt with two women, who were resolutely ignoring him; though Lucy didn't fail to notice the fond grin on Nami's face that belied her care for the particular crew cook.

And the rock that Usopp had shot flew fast and true, pelting Sanji in the back of his head, eliciting a surprised awe from Lucy and an annoyed growl from his victim.

In the end, though, Lucy had no particular talent for this skill. Rather, she was – to put it mildly – horrible at it.

Despondently, she headed off to Chopper. Couldn't help her. Franky – too busy fixing the ship. Brook freaked her out, and Luffy… Well he had never been a choice for what she was intending to learn, or so she thought. His goofiness would make even trying to learn from him… _difficult._ And Sanji was too flirty for her to try. Besides, kicks had never been her style. Except the Lucy kick, of course.

That left Zoro. She felt weirdly apprehensive about approaching the green haired swordsman. But with a nudge from Wendy, she finally did.

"Eh… Zoro?"

"What?" Was his usually gruff reply.

Lucy hid a smile. "Um, you see… I was trying to learn some self-defense in case, you know… my keys are… unavailable to me." She gulped. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could teach me?" She squeaked.

Zoro opened his eyes. "You…want me to teach you swordsmanship." He stated.

Lucy nodded nervously.

He closed his eyes back again and grunted. "… Fine. I'll get out a wooden sword tomorrow."

She couldn't help but grin in victory.

* * *

"Keep your back straight." Zoro ordered. The two having the training session (sort of) were being surreptitiously watched by the rest of the nosy crew. "Your posture should be more relaxed. The sword is all about having the flexibility and mobility to use it. But too relaxed, and the sword can be used against you." He nodded as she tried to do as he told her to.

"Good. Keep your legs in positions easy to move, but put them firmly on the ground, so as not to allow you opponent to push you off-balance."

Lucy nodded, pushing her feet into the most comfortable, easy-to-run position she could think of.

After five more minutes like that, the green haired man nodded, seemingly satisfied. "That's enough for today. Keep practicing that stance, and try to get used to moving with a sword in your hand." He nodded to the wooden one he had provided her.

She smiled at him, and that was it. The extent of their interaction.

For some weird reason, Nami actually looked disappointed. As if… as if she had expected a bit more…

Anyway, the next few days were spent like this, and a week into these lessons, Zoro started practice spars. It was long, boring days, since no island was really coming on sight, so the crew almost always gathered to watch and smirk at Lucy's shortcomings. Annoying, to say the least.

* * *

A few days later, Nami gave them a large grin. "Guess what?" She was practically jumping with excitement.

Lucy looked up from a book she had borrowed. "What?"

Nami smiled a very big smile. "A new island! And a _very_ nice one, at that!"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "And why would that be?" She asked over the whooping cheers of a man named Luffy.

"We can get anything we want as long as we do something for them!" Her eyes sparkled. "Even money!"

Zero snorted, muttering something not quite suitable for children's ears. Go figure.

Luffy grinned widely. "Food?!" He asked eagerly.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Didn't I just say ' _anything'_?"

"Woohoo!" The captain shouted. "Straight ahead, everyone!"

Usopp snickered. "And that, my friend," He motioned to Wendy. "Is an adventure-savvy Luffy. You'll grow used to him."

Lucy, who was standing next to them, narrowed her eyes. "You know, Wendy, I think I attract strange humans."

"At least your life's not boring!" Nami yelled from a few steps away, guiding Franky at the helm.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "And your life is?"

"Touché," Was the only reply.

* * *

The island came into sight a few hours later. It was… colorful. Bright banners and stalls right at the entrance greeted the eyes of the Straw hat crew. There were people on the port who didn't seem even a bit frightened of them being pirates. In fact, they welcomed them with open arms.

"My name is Oryoono, the town mayor!" The first person they saw, a short man with a squeaky voice and fluffed up clothes, smiled at them brightly. "Welcome to Tirinbas Town! How may we help you?"

Nami grinned. "We would like to barter."

Oryoono's face turned decidedly more intelligent. "Well, then, ladies and gentlemen, you have come to the right place."

Lucy shouldn't have been surprised by the speed everyone vanished. It was, after all a very interesting place. She sighed, then straightened. "Might as well explore!" She told herself brightly.

The stalls and open houses seemed to be giving out anything and everything. For a price. Zoro was obviously prowling for swords, Luffy for food and Nami for money. Sanji she saw on the way, discussing the price of ingredients to stock up the ship's pantry. Franky and Usopp were nowhere to be seen (not that that was a big surprise – the island was pretty big and the town extended far beyond what she could see), Brook was fawning over some musical instruments and Chopper was looking at some medicines. Wendy, too, was at a book store with Robin.

Lucy grinned as her stomach growled. Well, food first. The first booth she reached was serving steamed rice and vegetables, with gravy, as well as a bubbling drink to wash it down. Lucy's mouth watered. "How much is it for a meal?"

The brunette stared at a magazine, bored. "One pail of water from the river behind the town."

Lucy blinked. So _this_ was what Nami meant by barter. "Er… Can I ask why you need it?"

The woman in front of her frowned in annoyance, but looked up obligingly. "I live alone, and work all day, and the only source of water here is the river. So I don't get time to get any water before dark, and then I'm too tired to go. Therefore, my price is water. Anything else?"

The stellar spirit mage shook her head. "I'll get it." She murmured, walking in the specified direction.

* * *

It took her fifteen minutes to walk to the river. It was a calm stream at one point, where she headed. Little girl was sitting next to it, knees drawn to her chest, and eyes staring blankly over to the land beyond the stream. Lucy frowned. Why was she alone? And wasn't it dangerous to be sitting beside a river? The little girl looked small and weak enough to be swept away…

"Hi!" She called brightly, intending to cheer the cute child up.

Instead, the greeting gained a negative reaction. The little girl leapt up, scared eyes guarded against Lucy's concerned ones. She held her hands in front of her, palms facing the blond, and bit her lip. "S-stay away! Don't come n-near me!"

Lucy stilled. "Alright, little one. Look, I'm not coming near now, am I?" The girl did not reply, as a few strands of scarlet hair (That so reminded Lucy of Erza) slid over her eyes. The blond sighed, and sat down. "Look, now I can't do anything. Would you like to sit down too?"

The green-eyed redhead gulped, but after what seemed like a few minutes, she quickly nodded and plopped down on the grass.

Fairy Tail's loyal member smiled brightly. "My name's Lucy Heartfilia. What are you called?"

"… Illeva. Mahiro Illeva."

"Wow. That's a very pretty name!"

A bit of a smile twitched on Illeva's face. "Thank you… your name's pretty too."

Lucy outright grinned. "Thanks, Illeva-chan!" Then she looked at the sky, which was steadily darkening. Which was weird, since it couldn't have been more than a few hours since the crew have arrived there, and it had been noon then. "Say, do you like the stars?"

Illeva frowned, looking up at the sky, which was now twinkling. "The sparkly things?"

The older female laughed. "Yeah. The sparkly things. They're called stars."

"They're pretty."

"They are. They also have stories behind them. Want to hear?"

Sort of relaxing, the little redhead nodded vigorously.

* * *

An hour or two later, Illeva had warmed conspicuously to Lucy, and was brightly telling her about herself. Illeva was 7 years old. She loved ice cream, hated being alone, and wanted to be 'awesome' when she grew up. Lucy laughed along with her, and kept smiling. Illeva sort of reminded her of a mixture of people from fairy tail.

"So, Illeva-chan, what are you doing all alone here? Where's your family?"

The mood noticeably darkened. "I… Mommy brought me here… and told me to wait…"

Lucy frowned, the beginnings of a furious rage picking up in her heart. "And how long ago was… _that_?"

Illeva rubbed her eyes, leaning into Lucy, to whom she had scooted closer. "I don't know… a few days?"

The blonde's eyes flashed. Then she closed them, sighing. She couldn't take out her anger on someone who wasn't even there. Then the beginnings of an idea started unravelling into her mind. "Say, Illeva-chan…," She ventured. The seven year old looked up. Lucy continued. "I'm far away from my home too, you know. And I'm travelling with a group of really amazing people on their pirate ship until I can go home."

Illeva suddenly looked sad. "You… You have to go too?" She asked, trying to keep the tears out of her voice.

Lucy's heart clenched at the sight, but she plowed on. "Yeah. But, I was wondering… would you like to go with me?"

A few moments passed in tense silence, but then… Illeva's bright, happy smile made it all worth the while. "C-Can I r-really...?" She said softly.

Lucy grinned back, getting up. "Well, we'd have to confirm it with Luffy – he's the captain – but I'm sure he'd allow it!"

The little girl nodded vigorously, extending towards the only hope she'd had in a long while.

Then Lucy remembered the pail in her hand. "Oh, wait. Let me finish a job first, okay?"

And without glancing at the confused child in front of her, Lucy skipped off to the edge of river. She frowned. It was really fast… and really deep… huh. It had seemed different from far away.

And suddenly, here was a small stick protruding from the ground that just wasn't there before…

And Lucy? She _fell._

* * *

 **Have Fun Reading? Please review! 'Cause I love reading reviews of people who enjoy my stories. It gives me hope that I might actually be a good writer.**

 **Thanks!**

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 **Thanks, Again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everybody. Sorry for the long wait. First of all, let me thank you all who reviewed and favourited, followed, read, etc.**

 **Yes, even Telepath10's less than constructive criticism. In any case, I'd like to point out that this is a fanfiction, so it has no need to follow the real story completely. And there's an actual story here, so tere's a reason Lucy and Wendy are called weak by their team. Trust me, I think Lucy's pretty amazingly powerful. Especially after the 7 year timeskip and the 1 year timeskip after that.**

 **So, anyway, have fun and read!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Mahiro Illeva had been alone for a few days. She knew that her mother had abandoned her on this island – though she didn't really know why. She also knew that most people would do anything else rather than pay attention to her. It was a normal reaction. Why _should_ people be concerned with a poor beggar child?

In any case, Illeva was actually pretty intelligent and perceptive. So when Lucy Heartfilia came and introduced herself, the red-haired child couldn't help but warm up to her. And when she talked of the stars? It was like Lucy had actually met the Zodiac signs!

When the blonde had talked of being away from home, and implied that her stay was temporary, Illeva couldn't help but feel her heart sink. But then Lucy offered her a home, and suddenly, Illeva was warm again, hope back in her heart.

So when the woman had gone near to the river, going on about a job or something, Illeva had panicked. Sprites – mischievous, tiny, invisible troublemakers – came out at night, and made… well, trouble.

And seeing Lucy – one of the few genuine people she had ever met – fall?

It was like her dreams were getting shattered all over again.

She only spared one thought – _'Would Lucy-san hate me too?' –_ before believing that even if she did, even if she regarded Illeva as a monster… at least the friendly woman would live. At least, she would be safe.

And then she raised her hands, palms facing the falling figure of Lucy Heartfilia (Which seemed in slow motion), and summoned every inch of her will power and magic. " **Clashing swords, Shielding kings – Barrier Magic**!" And a light burst from her fingertips, flowing to below the blonde… and Lucy jerked onto a plane of shimmering gold, instead of a rushing river, that would have swallowed her and undoubtedly transported her to the sea.

And once Lucy, with years of practice (Namely Fairy tail) had deftly and quickly gotten back to land, Illeva let her hands fall – and her tears fell with them. Lucy looked at her with a kind of wonder, but Illeva was looking down, and when Lucy took even one step forward, the little girl turned tail and ran.

* * *

Lucy was surprised. More than surprised, really. In fact, she might even say shocked.

Not the bad kind, of course, just… pleasant bafflement. Illeva knew _magic_! That was amazing!

Not so new in her world, but here? Here there was no magic, except from devil fruits.

Just then, Illeva bolted. Lucy didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that she was scared. Why, though… that was a different problem.

Lucy sighed, as Illeva disappeared from sight.

Time to look for the little girl. (What did you think? She wasn't going to leave her alone _now_.)

* * *

It was half an hour later that the blonde caught sight of the redhead. The elder female had passed many of her current crew mates on her search, though she refused the help of each of them.

Illeva was sitting on the edge of a cliff on one of the higher points on the island. It was basically deserted – probably why the little kid had come her – and a miniature cloud of gloom stood over her head.

Lucy sighed and went to sit by her. There was silence for a while. "Why did you run away?" She asked.

Illeva stared at the sky. She didn't answer her question. Instead, she gulped. "Do you… hate me?" She asked slowly, quietly.

Lucy frowned. "Why would I hate you?"

"I can…" The girl stammered. "I can use unnatural powers."

To Illeva's confusion, Lucy outright laughed. "Sweetie, magic isn't unnatural. It's not even so uncommon!"

But Illeva wasn't willing to believe. "My mother _left_ me because of it! _I'm a monster!"_

And Lucy stilled, eyes transforming from light and happy to dark and glaring. "She did that…?" She murmured. "Well," Lucy turned to face Illeva, and ruffled her hair. "I'll just tell you this now. You _aren't_ a monster, Illeva-chan. You can never be. Because monsters…" She stared off into the skies for a bit, then turned back. "Monsters, _real_ monsters aren't just that because of their powers. Magic is an amazing thing! Everyone wants it. True monsters are bad and evil people who don't care about others. Monsters hurt people. And you? Well, you saved me instead." Lucy ruffled her hair. "I'd even say you were an angel instead!"

Seeing Illeva's brilliant, hopeful smile was completely worth it.

* * *

Lucy and Illeva climbed onto the ship at the docks. They both wore matching smiles, and walked hand in hand – just like sisters. Wendy, who noticed them first, frowned at the pair. "Lucy-san? Who's that?"

Lucy grinned at her. By now, Nami, Robin, Carla and Usopp had come over.

Lucy smiled softly. "She's my newest family member. Everyone, meet Mahiro Illeva. Illeva-chan, meet everyone!"

Illeva blushed deep red, but smiled shyly at all of the onlookers.

Nami's brain was in over-drive, as the others smiled back at the little child. "Lucy!" She hissed "Don't tell me you intend to take her with you?!"

Illeva flinched and Lucy frowned as the others stilled. The blonde nodded firmly. "Like it or not, I really try to not leave behind my nakama." She replied, soothingly rubbing the girl's back.

Carla sniffed imperiously (Though Wendy did see a smidgen – or more – of worry in her eyes). "A pirate ship is no place for a child."

Nami nodded, while Robin just looked on, contemplating.

Usopp scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, Lucy-san…? Illeva might get hurt."

Lucy frowned. While that was certainly the biggest concern… "Everyone here is strong." She insisted. "Illeva-chan won't get hurt. And in any case, she has her own magic that will protect her."

Illeva winced at that, sure that she would now in no way be allowed to come with Lucy. She tugged the blonde's hand. "It's 'k, Lucy-san… I can s-stay-"

Her quiet voice was drowned out by the pirates' surprised gasp and Wendy's excited questions. "What sort of magic does she have? Is it like ours? I thought there was no magic in this world!"

Robin looked speculative. "There isn't." her intelligent eyes gleamed. "May we see her magic, Ms. Lucy?"

Lucy sighed. "She's, ah, a bit _shy_. And slightly misinformed about the powers she holds."

The whole group looked taken aback, and more than a bit confused. Illeva herself hid behind Lucy, her face in her hands.

The Heartfilia heiress ruffled the little girl's hair. "Her parents apparently were not quite tolerant of being… different."

A hushed silence.

And then fury simmered palpably.

Chopper, who probably had the most similar childhood angered the fastest. "I hate those type of people the most…" He muttered.

The others had similar sentiments.

Wendy was almost crying, and both Nami and Carla looked like they wanted teach the so-called parents what being a parent actually meant.

Robing silently walked over to Illeva and knelt down beside her. "You know Illeva-chan," She began softly, a smile on her face. "Like you, I have magic too."

Illeva stilled, wide eyes turning to look at the elder woman. Lucy had said that already, but now someone other than her was saying it too. "…Really?" She asked so quietly, Robin had to strain her ears.

The wanted woman pirate nodded, then stepped back, crossing her hands. Instantly, a hand sprouted from the deck and waved to Illeva.

Lucy giggled and Illeva's expression turned dumbstruck. This was… this was _actually magic_! Lucy said she knew magic, but-! Now she had proof!

"Wow…" She muttered. "I want to do that…"

Robin smiled. "Would you like to show me your magic, Illeva-chan?"

After a second of hesitation, the little girl turned to Lucy in askance.

"Do you want to?" Lucy replied.

Illeva nodded excitedly.

"Then, of course."

"Yay!" And Illeva hugged the elder female, prompting quite a bit of cooing.

She turned back to Robin. "I… can make barriers." She told her, half still ashamed, yet half proud.

"Really?" Robin asked with interest.

Illeva nodded again, shining eyes showing clearly that Robin, too, was making it onto her list of favourite people. "I can make vertical and horizontal shields. And-" She stopped, suddenly hesitant.

Lucy put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath and continued. "I, uh, practiced making the barriers stick to an item, too."

Nami and Usopp looked suddenly extremely curious. Items were their forte, after all. "What does that mean, exactly?" Nami asked.

Illeva blushed at the increase in attention. "Um… Like shoes." She mumbled. "I can make a barrier on the soles allowing them to… walk on water."

Lucy blinked. That was surprising. Walking on water? And Ileva had figured it out all by herself, never mind she was _seven years old_!

Usopp's eyes sparkled. "Can we see the last one?"

Illeva blushed. "It's n-not perfect."

Lucy smoothed her charge's hair. "Perfection's over-rated anyway. Go on. Try it."

Hesitantly, Illeva nodded. " **Clashing Swords, Shielding Kings – Barrier magic, applied!"**

Her hands slid over, palm facing towards the sole of her shoe. A blue sheet of light slid over the underneath of her sneakers. She repeated it on the other foot.

And then, of all the foolish, stupid actions (as Lucy would learn to call it – It was undoubtedly a Natsu action), Illeva rushed to the edge, and jumped off.


End file.
